Dear Mom,

This is going to be one of those cliche letters about how much I love and appreciate you, so prepare yourself.

Over the years, I have come to realize how much a mother truly sacrifices for her children. Each day you wake up, and you think of what you can do to make my life a little bit easier that day. Everything you do is for me, and I can’t thank you enough for always being my biggest supporter. All of my life you have encouraged me to try everything once, never quit on something without giving it a fair shot, forgive others and ask for forgiveness, be humble and kind as often as possible, and to love the Lord steadily. Without all of your life lessons, I would not have lived a successful 18 years. While your time being my legal guardian and raising me is coming to an end, I would like to reassure you that your position as my mother will never change. You have been my best friend and mom throughout my entire life and that is something that will stay with us forever.

I will forever treasure our food dates, mall sprees, and the tiny arguments over the smallest things. You’ve spent countless nights sitting and listening to me vent for hours, and somehow you always had the best advice to give. Even while I am away at college, please remember that I think about you every day. Everything reminds me of you, and I am constantly finding myself talking about our stories together with my friends. I catch myself repeating the advice that you have given me to my new friends here. You have been the best mom a daughter could ask for, and the best friend anyone could ask for. None of the things you do for me ever go unnoticed. I appreciate you immensely, mom. You give me the best of you every day, and you always provide me with everything I need and more. Thank you for being my mom, best friend, and sister all in one. You’re a one of a kind mother and I hope you know that.

While I might not tell you enough, mom, I love you. All that I am today, I have you to thank for. My morals, expectations of myself, self-esteem, and adventurousness all come from you. A mother’s job is to raise her child to be the best version of themselves, and hope that they carry the life lessons that you’ve taught them for eternity. Congratulations mom, you succeeded. For the rest of my life, I will remember the advice you gave me, the stories you told me, and the lessons you taught me. I can only pray that one day I have as great of a relationship with my kids as we have.

So, mom, this is for you. I love you forever mama. See you soon.